I just read that the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs announced where the street vendors for the inauguration are going to be located. I must say, I was a little surprised as to where they decided to put 138 of the 716 vendors (indicated by the black lines inside the red box):
What the... I mean, seriously, that vertical line of vendors is the eastern edge of the Georgetown Law campus! Why here?! It doesn't bother me--in fact, I think it ought to be fun--but it does confuse me. There's nothing else here. It's not along a logical path to the Mall from any major public transportation. Sure, we're close to Union Station, but you wouldn't walk over here to get to the Mall, because it'd be out of your way. If it were me, I would simply walk down Louisiana. Maybe that's the point--to divert some of the pedestrian traffic?
All I can say is, this place is going to be an absolute maelstrom during the week of the inauguration. Wow.
I am one exam away from winter break! My Civil Procedure exam is on Thursday, and it shall prove to be difficult. I've been going through my notes for several days, now, creating a comprehensive outline. It is tedious work, but the saving grace is that I always jot down the humorous things that my professors say in class. Thus, every couple of pages of notes, I have a laugh, which helps to maintain sanity, right?
I've been posting the best of the quotes on my blog throughout the semester, but I realized just now that I neglected to post a few awesome quotes from the last week of class in Civil Procedure:
“If I get drunk and barf all over my dog… Hey, it’s my dog.” (Making an argument for the Chinese legalism school of thought)
“All those people running around on the streets—otherwise known as citizens—how much law do they know?”
“Are you ready for some tender, sweet lovin’?” (Sexual harassment hypothetical)
Priceless. In other news, it was nearly 70 degrees today with a lovely breeze. I studied outside for a change, which turned into terrific procrastination with my friend Brad; when it became too windy, we proceeded to give ourselves a tour of the entire school whilst in search of an unclaimed room in which to study. Ah, yes, socializing with other human beings... I had almost forgotten what it is like. I really ought to leave my room more often. Oh, finals.
As I sit here in Starbucks, studying and sipping my hazelnut latte, I cannot help but take a moment to reflect up those outside of this brick building, those who cannot afford a warm meal, let alone a four-dollar drink. On my way here, I passed by a harried, middle-aged woman, clearly out of her mind, who was wailing to the sky about someone who had failed her. I thought Berkeley had made me fairly seasoned in coping with encounters with the homeless and mentally ill, but D.C. reaches a whole new magnitude. In my last post, I referenced the lawyer in Luke's Gospel who asked, "And, who is my neighbor?" This is a question with which I struggle in this city. As I passed the wailing woman, a man walking near me commented with a Southern accent, "Bless her heart," and smiled at me with sad eyes. I nodded and smiled back wanly, furrowing my brow as I grappled with feelings of guilt and compassion toward the woman.
I would love to reach out to her, but, frankly, I don't want to put myself in harm's way. Since I moved to D.C., homeless people have scowled at me, yelled at me, sworn at me, made sexual advances toward me, slapped me on the butt, and one old woman even struck me on the back. In Berkeley, I felt comfortable going up to homeless people to give them food or change, or even to ask if I could pray for them, but here I don't even feel safe making eye contact. How do I show mercy toward someone of whom I am afraid? On the streets, I pray silently for the needy people that I see, but I wish I knew how else to help. Is it wrong to protect myself instead of reaching out to them? It makes me feel hypocritical, but I don't know what else to do.
Erin had a great post yesterday about Luke's Gospel, in which she mentioned Jesus' interactions with lawyers.
It's interesting that she should bring up the New Testament lawyer references... The homily at Georgetown Law's chapel on October 26 addressed this, actually, since the Gospel reading was Matthew 22:34-40, in which a "scholar of the law" asks Jesus, "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" As a part of his homily, Fr. Alexei read us the synoptic passage in Luke 10:25-37 (because it is a little more detailed), joking that Jesus acted exactly like a law school professor. When the lawyer asked Jesus a question, Jesus presented a hypothetical situation, and then made the lawyer answer the question himself. That is exactly what we do here in law school.
Granted, when the New Testament refers to "scholars of the law," they mean the scribes well-versed in Mosaic law, not lawyers as we understand them today, but whenever I read a verse that vilifies lawyers, it nonetheless makes me hesitate. I mean, even when I was young, one of the facile conclusions that I reached about the Bible was, "Thank God I'm not a scribe or a Pharisee! They do everything wrong!" Now, I understand that I need to look more closely at the attributes of scribes and Pharisees to analyze whether I am making the same mistakes.
So, what is it that lawyers do wrong? As Erin referenced, Jesus explains this in Luke 11:45-46, 52-54:
Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply, "Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too." And he said, "Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them. [...] Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter." When he left, the scribes and Pharisees began to act with hostility toward him and to interrogate him about many things, for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.
In short, lawyers are sticklers. Lawyers use pedantic interpretations of the law to manipulate the world around them, helping themselves and hurting their opponents. And, sure, I'm only a law student, maybe I don't have any culpability--yet. But, I'm being trained in the art of exploiting language to my advantage, and that has dangerous implications. I looked up "legalist" in the OED, and the second definition is "a stickler for legality." "Legality," in turn, is defined as "attachment to or observance of law or rule." I think that is the danger against which Jesus is warning--attachment to the law as it is written, above justice, above mercy, above God. Indeed, the OED's first definition for "legalism" is the theological one: "applied reproachfully to the principles of those who are accused of adhering to the Law as opposed to the Gospel" (emphasis added). The challenge of a lawyer, then, in the words of my my mother, is to "use your power for good, not evil." Amen.
"My guest tonight wants to help underprivileged kids go to college. Well, if they major in English, they'll become underprivileged adults." - Stephen Colbert (season 4, episode 157)
Harsh words, Mr. Colbert--especially coming from a theater major! I thought you would have more respect for those of us in the humanities, particularly in light of your honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, but I guess I was wrong. I'm not going to lie, Stephen, I'm a little disappointed in you.
In other news,
It wasn't that bad, to be frank. The questions were fair, I was capable of answering the questions, and no major disasters transpired. It was a good way to start off final exam season. My Torts professor is so sweet, by the way. He's one of those older professors who reminds you of your favorite grandparent. At the end of a handout that he gave us going over the exam instructions, he wrote, "Have a great holiday after. Feel free to contact me in future years if I can be of any help at all. -- Your friend forever, Paul." My friend forever?! Could he be any nicer? I think not.
Anyhow, I am ten days and two exams away from winter break, my family, and everything that I miss about California! :-) Now, time to study some Constitutional Law.
‘Twas the night before Torts, when all through Georgetown Not a first-year was sleeping, for none could calm down; The outlines were reviewed by the students with care, In hopes that comprehension soon would be there; The 1Ls were weary, their hearts filled with dread, While visions of negligence danced in their heads; And mocha in hand for a practice exam, I had just settled down to frantically cram, When out in the quad there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my desk to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, And pulled up the blinds with a thunderous clash, When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer, With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick. More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name; “Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donner and Blitzen! To the top of Gewirz! to the Capitol Mall! Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!” Then they, to my awe, met my burden of proof With the prancing and pawing of each little hoof. As I drew in my head, and was turning around, I felt in my heart a new hope abound. Up the elevator St. Nicholas came with a grin, And knocked on my door—he made quite a din! As he walked in, the consent was implied; No trespass to land was intended or tried. He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself; A wink of his eye and a twist of his head, Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread; He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, And completed my outlines; then turned with a jerk, And laying his finger aside of his nose, And giving a nod, he allayed all my woes; He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, And away they all flew as though by judge’s dismissal. But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight, “Happy studies to all; may your errors be slight!”
I had requested tickets to the Inauguration right after the election from Rep. Anna Eshoo, who is my representative for California's 14th Congressional District, hoping against hope that I might get a ticket. (Obama is all about hope, after all.)
Well, I got an email this evening from Eshoo announcing that she will be conducting a lottery for the tickets. Only those that submitted requests between July and November are eligible, and each lottery winner will receive only one ticket. To enter in the lottery, we have to fill out a new form on Eshoo's website by Monday, and she'll email the winners on Friday. Eshoo said that she had received 3,289 requests. With each congressperson getting 200 tickets, that gives me about a 6% chance of getting a ticket.
Actually, I think my odds are a little better than that, for several reasons: (1) some people won't bother filling out the form, (2) some people will give up because it is impossible to book a hotel room in D.C. at this point, (3) some people won't want to go alone with only one ticket per winner, and (4) some people won't be able to pick up the tickets at Eshoo's D.C. office in person with a photo ID before the Inauguration, which is required. So, we'll see what happens!
David asked me the quintessential Fr. Charlie question tonight: "How is your prayer life?" What started out as a quick written response soon became a rather long reflection upon the trajectory of my spirituality this semester. I though I'd post my introspection here, as well.
My prayer life is pretty good. Something that I learned about myself this semester is that I cannot help but be involved in my parish community... I seriously cannot stop myself from doing stuff! I have some sort of compulsion for Catholic service. I moved into the dorms on a Saturday, went to church at the little on-campus chapel the following day, and immediately started helping out with the lector and Eucharistic ministries. Three weeks into school, I was a part of Catholic Forum, and had started a new Bible study. I was amused by several people telling me that they had assumed I was a second or third year, because I was already so involved with campus ministry. After 5 semesters on Seekers leadership and 3 on SMT, I had been looking forward to just being served by the Georgetown community for a while, but, when I got here, it was very evident to me that the community itself needed service. So, here I am.
But, that doesn't really answer the question, now, does it? I just described my communal interactions with the church, not my inner relationship with God. This is a chronic mistake for me, to equate church busyness with spirituality. While there is a spiritual element to the work, it alone a prayer life does not make. So, allow me to answer the real question.
September and October were a bit of a spiritual recession for me. I wasn't praying daily, and I interacted with Scripture only two or three times per week. I didn't realize what a negative effect this was having on me at first, but by October, I felt like something was off. Another perpetual struggle for me is trusting in God instead of relying upon myself for strength, and that started to show up more and more by the end of October. Thankfully, Campus Ministry had a retreat in the first week of November, which helped me a lot to think about prayer in daily life (the retreat's theme). It was very on-point.
So, November has been a good month, spiritually. I started to find more of a rhythm, doing something spiritual each morning and evening. I do different things depending on how I feel and how much time I have, but I make a point of doing something: the daily readings, the Rosary, journaling, reading a devotional book, the Liturgy of the Hours...
The past couple of weeks, I've had an inexplicable feeling of excitement and anticipation growing within me about Advent. I really do love the Christmas season. It's a chance to celebrate the coming of Christ, to spend time with family, and to express my gratitude for the blessings in my life. So, my prayer life is great right now. I don't know how I'd be doing if I didn't have God in my life as a law student. Some of the students around here are so stressed out. It makes me feel sad for them, and I try to reach out as I am able, but there aren't many opportunities. I really want to be an RA in the law school dorm next year--I think it would be a great way to bring a little more sanity and sanctity to this campus.
So, in this first week of Advent, which is all about hope, I am filled with hope. I hope that finals will go smoothly, and I trust that God will carry me through. I hope that God will use me to reach out to those hungering for His love here at Georgetown Law. I hope that I will continue to have the Holy Spirit fruitfully directing my passions. Amen.
As a graduate of UC Berkeley, I am accustomed to unique personalities roaming onto campuses to proclaim their beliefs. I'm all for free speech. In the words of one of my favorite movie presidents, Andrew Shepherd, in his powerful speech at the end of The American President,
"America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say, 'You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours.'"
Absolutely! However, at Berkeley, the speakers are on Sproul Plaza. You don't see them in the quads of the dorms, or on the lawn of a fraternity, or in front of apartment complexes. They are somewhat self-contained. Here in D.C., however, people seem to think that the expanse of scraggy grass that runs along the I-395 off-ramp next to my dormitory, is a great place to express themselves. And, you know, I'm even okay with that. Hand out pamphlets, give speeches, sell things to the cars stopped in traffic... go for it!
However, I think the man currently standing outside my window with a bullhorn is crossing the line. He is proclaiming the salvation of Jesus Christ, but he is not doing so in a productive manner. I doubt that law students studying for final exams will be receptive to his disruptively loud message. (We have double-paned windows that block out the sound of the interstate, and I can still hear him.) I've been told that he always comes by the law school during finals season to wreak havoc, including by directing his bullhorn at the library, which also borders the off-ramp. I just don't think that the Prince of Peace would try to reach out to people in this way.
My eyelid is twitching, which is really distracting. I decided to research it--because pretty much anything seems more enticing than outlining my Torts class right now--and, according to WebMD, it seems that I have created for myself a perfect storm for eyelid twitches, also known as a blepharospasm:
"Eyelid twitches may be aggravated by having dry eyes. They may also be worsened by stress, lack of sleep, caffeine, and harsh light conditions."
My eyes are dry from reading all day with my contacts in, I'm (just maybe) a little overworked due to finals, I haven't gotten enough sleep the past couple of nights, I had a tasty peppermint mocha earlier, and the fluorescent light above my desk is garish.
I took a study break this evening and headed over to the West Lawn of the Capitol to see the Capitol Christmas Tree-Lighting Ceremony. The 78-foot tree, as we were reminded every sixty seconds throughout the ceremony, was provided by the great state of Montana. Seriously, I have never heard so much about Montana in my entire life as I did in the course of that 45-minute ceremony. The tree is estimated to be 140 years old, which is mind-boggling... It's as old as UC Berkeley!
The area around the tree was fenced off, and only important people (e.g., senators, the press, people from Montana) were allowed within the perimeter, but I found a pretty good spot behind the fence with an unobstructed view. An a cappella group from Montana sang Christmas carols before and after the ceremony, which was pleasant, as were the tunes by the Air Force Band. Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke, which made me happy, and proud for California. I thought it was cute that she invited all of the children from the audience to come forward and "help" her light the tree. The lights are LEDs, as a part of Pelosi's Green the Capitol campaign.
Behind the tree, I could see the half-constructed viewing area for the inauguration. It was pretty chilly--about 42-degrees with a slight breeze--which gave me a taste of what it will be like to stand out there on Jan. 20, though it'll probably be at least five degrees cooler, and precipitation is quite plausible. Brr. I'm asking for thermal underwear and hand warmers for Christmas.
This post comes to you by iPhone, whilst I travel by Amtrak down to Raleigh for Thanksgiving with my grandparents. Oh, technology... So cool. According to my GPS, we're just outside of Fredericksburg, VA. It's already dark outside, but I don't have a window out of which to look anyhow. I'm at the front of the car, in a seat with an absurd amount of leg room, actually. The only problem is the lack of table... My Civil Procedure book is balance on my lap, but it means that I'm reading with poor posture. Oh, well.
My train was scheduled to leave Union Station in D.C. at 3 pm, but was delayed until 3:45, so I won't be arriving until 10 pm. I hope my grandpa doesn't mind picking me up so late!
Ha ha, I considered doing a live blog of the train ride, but based on the past few hours, I doubt there will be much to report. Back to collateral estoppel, I suppose... I hope everyone has safe travels and a lovely Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving will quickly be upon us, and I wanted to express the things for which I am most thankful. We usually talk about this at the dinner table on Thanksgiving, but since I won't be able to travel to California for the brief break this year, I thought I'd share my thanks by video:
So, I wrote an op-ed piece about the Prayer-in-Daily-Life Retreat for the Georgetown Law Weekly. Sharing my spiritual testimony by way of school newspaper is a new experience for me, to say the least, but I'm glad I took the time to organize my thoughts. Here is the article, for the curious. (ADX and Newman kids, be excited--you're mentioned!)
Retreat, finding time for spirituality in law school Amanda Stempson
I closed my eyes, and imagined the scene: I was tending a flock of sheep at the base of a mountain. I could hear someone calling my name, but I felt conflicted—should I stay with the flock, or follow the voice? This was the first of many questions that I faced during the Prayer-in-Daily-Life Retreat offered by Campus Ministry during the first week of November. This particular question arose as I participated in a guided prayer led by Father Alexei Michalenko, S.J., based on Moses’ encounter with God in the form of a burning bush in Exodus, chapter 3. As I put myself in Moses’ shoes (well, sandals), I related to his struggle to choose between his earthly duty and God’s greater calling. In meeting with a spiritual advisor each day for half an hour, and committing to a half-hour of daily prayer during the week-long retreat, my hope was to renew my prayer life. In undergrad at UC Berkeley, I had been very involved with student ministry at Newman Hall Holy Spirit Parish. I was also in Alpha Delta Chi, a Christian sorority. Starting out at Georgetown Law, I did not know what to expect. Would I find a faith-filled community? Would I be able to strike a balance between the notorious rigors of 1L year and my personal desire for spiritual enrichment? This retreat called out to me as a chance to examine these questions. My spiritual director was Sister Dorinda Young, who greeted me in her office each afternoon with a peaceful smile. She lit a candle, reminding us of God’s presence, and we quieted ourselves by contemplating ruah, the Hebrew word for spirit or breath. Just as I breathe in and out every moment, ruah seemed to say, so could God’s love be a continual presence in my life. The challenge as a law student, however, is to find time to acknowledge and appreciate God’s love. For me, making time for God requires both desire and energy: a desire to pursue such a relationship, and the energy to live out God’s love each day. How, then, to grow in faith during law school, when we are short on desire and energy at the end of a rigorous day? From the Prayer-in-Daily-Life Retreat, I witnessed three ways in which I can further develop my spirituality.
Prayer
At the heart of the retreat is a commitment to daily prayer. At first, I wasn’t sure how I would manage to fit the half-hour into my schedule. I tried out different times throughout the day, and learned that evening prayer worked the best for me. When I found myself wearied by my schoolwork, I chose to take a break for prayer. I would close my laptop, turn down the lights, light a candle, and relax in my chair. I tried pre-written prayers, praying with Scripture, journaling, and extemporaneous prayer, but the deepest prayer for me was to simply be quiet and listen. At the end of a half-hour, or even 15 minutes, I felt calm and rejuvenated. Taking the short break seemed to make the rest of my evening far more productive, instead of slogging through without pause. I was delighted to discover that my spiritual renewal was impacting other aspects of my life, including academics.
Study
Spending time with Scripture was another key element of the retreat. One of my favorite things about reading the Bible is that I can read the same passage over and over, and get a completely different meaning out of it each time. The essence of Bible study for me is applicability—how does this passage apply to my own life? The retreat emphasized many methods for connecting with Scripture, including imagining oneself in the scene of the passage, reading a psalm as a prayer, and focusing on any specific words that resonate while reading a passage.
Accountability
The week before I left for undergrad, I went to visit my grandmother. At the end of our visit, saying our good-byes, she tearfully embraced me and whispered in my ear, “Don’t lose faith.” Those three little words spurred me on to grow dramatically in my relationship with God, and provided me with a clear model for showing others accountability. In search of spiritual accountability at the start of my 1L year, I first discovered Catholic Forum, a group of law students that meets monthly to discuss issues relevant to Catholicism while promoting a spiritual community. Coupled with Mass in McDonough Hall’s beautiful little St. Thomas More Chapel on Sundays, it was a good foundation, but I yearned for more. I was searching for the intimate accountability that I had found so readily in my Bible study groups at Berkeley. Through Catholic Forum, I met Michael O’Rourke, a fellow 1L, who had been similarly involved with Bible study groups at Harvard. Desiring a smaller faith community rooted in accountability, he and I have started the aptly named Small Group Bible Study, which meets each Wednesday at 7:30 pm in Gewirz 1014 to explore the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ by sharing in Scripture and prayer (and baked goods). The retreat similarly exemplified a small community of personal sharing. I was inspired by the willing vulnerability of my fellow retreatants as we discussed our hopes and struggles during the retreat’s opening and closing gatherings. The group was a composite of several different faith traditions, but we all connected on a more basic level through our desire to know God’s love. By the end of the retreat, we were asked to sum up our experiences in one phrase or image. My phrase was, “The Lord takes my hand and leads me.” This is the ultimate form of accountability, to allow myself to be led by faith. Through the Prayer-in-Daily-Life Retreat, I am hopeful that prayer, study, and accountability can be fruitful features of my life as a student at Georgetown Law.
Amanda Stempson, 1L, would love to hear how others are balancing the spiritual and the scholastic. She can be reached atals244@law.georgetown.edu.
I was called on today in my Civil Procedure class, and survived! The professor kept me and my classmate sitting next to me on call for the entire hour-and-a-half (though sometimes calling on other people). I didn't take very many notes, because I was too busy concentrating on every word he said to make sure I'd be able to answer his questions, which are sometimes cryptic. For example, when trying to ask me about the role of traditional tests for personal jurisdiction, all he said was "Fiddler on the Roof?" I stared at him, utterly perplexed, until he said with gusto, "Tradition!" Gah, I should have gotten that! There were definitely some questions I couldn't answer, but he nonetheless told me "Good job" after class, which was a relief.
The other cool thing that happened today was SNOW! It snowed for five minutes or so around lunchtime. I was in the library when it started, and once I caught sight of it from a window, I packed up all of my things, ran down four flights of stairs, and stood in our little quad, gawking at the sky. The only other time I had seen snow fall was on the Spring 2006 Newman retreat (iTune into God), so I was very excited. The snow melted as soon as it touched the ground, but there were definitely little flakes clinging to my Cal sweatshirt! So pretty! A man walking by spotted me and, gesturing toward my sweatshirt, commented, " I bet you don't see this too often in Berkeley." True story, sir.
The meeting is taking place at the National Building Museum, next to which I can see dozens of flashing police cars, brigades of bicycle cops, and a series of mysterious white tents. Perhaps the tents are for parking? It is raining, after all, and we can't have our foreign heads of state getting wet. Or, maybe it is a makeshift security headquarters. The incessant sound of sirens isn't exactly conducive to studying, but the activity makes for an interesting view.
Last night, I was near Dupont Circle when, all of a sudden, a bunch of policemen swarmed the area, forming traffic blockades against all of the streets intersecting with Connecticut Ave. I was a bit bewildered, until I remembered that the summit was this weekend, and then I got excited, because I knew that it meant someone important would be driving by. Sure enough, a long motorcade passed by a few minutes later; I counted 8 motorcycle cops, 17 black SUVs, limos and sedans, 2 buses, 6 police vehicles, and 1 ambulance. One of the limos was sporting the Chinese flag, so it's very possible that it was President Hu Jintao! I mean, he's not exactly one of my favorite world leaders, but, still... D.C. is so exciting. (Alternately: I'm a nerd.)
EDIT, 1:10 PM: Ah ha! According to The New York Times, President Jintao headed a delegation of 100 people for the summit, which explains why his motorcade was so huge.
So, I wore a button-down shirt with three-quarters length sleeves today, and I only just noticed, at 10:20 at night, that I walked around all day with one of my sleeves completely unbuttoned. Lame. Ha ha, I wonder if strangers judged me, assuming me to be a pathetic law student driven to absent-mindedness on account of her studies.
I think autumn is here, though the weather has mostly oscillated between winter and spring, in my opinion. I am pleased by the beautiful colors of the trees across from Union Station. I cannot wait for all of the seasonal things that happen in DC, especially once we get closer to Christmas. But, nearer to Christmas also means nearer to finals, so it is a bittersweet anticipation. (Four weeks until finals?!)
Donna and I went on a tour of the Capitol Visitor Center on Saturday. "But, Amanda," I'm sure you're thinking, "according to the CVC website, the center isn't open yet! How on earth did you go on a tour?" Well, simply put, it was courtesy of my sweet Georgetown Law connections. Apparently, the CVC needs people upon which to practice their tours, and they invited the Georgetown Law community to participate in their "test and adjust" tours. Donna and I had a lot of critiques, to be frank. There was an intense 13-minute video about the history of Congress, which was uninformative to anyone who has graduated from high school. Also, they made us all wear headphones connected wirelessly to a microphone worn by our tour guide. It seemed like a good idea, if a bit odd, but they need to work out the technological kinks--i.e., very loud and obnoxious static. That being said, it was pretty neat to see the Capitol rotunda, which our guide told us is spacious enough to fit the Statue of Liberty with room to spare! Also, the Capitol has two statues from every state, so there are statues shoved everywhere. We only saw one of the California statues, of JunÃpero Serra. He was portrayed in brass, and was shown brandishing a cross in his right hand.
After our tour, Donna and I cruised over to Dupont to get lunch and do some studying together. We went to this awesome salad place about which Donna had been raving, called Chop't. It's like the Coldstone Creamery of salad! You pick out the lettuce and toppings that you would like, and they dump everything onto a counter and use a huge mezzaluna knife to chop up the ingredients, which has a curved blade for rocking action. Then, they dump everything into a big bowl, add dressing, and toss it for you. It is a bit pricey, but they give you enough salad to last two meals, which makes up for it. Donna and I decided that the place felt like Northern California.
We spent the remainder of the day studying at various cafes, which often broke down into people-watching, laughing uncontrollably, and general silliness. I studied for my Legal Research and Writing in-class exam, which is on Friday. (Yikes!) Actually, I feel pretty good about LRW... meticulous citation rules and grammatical nuances are kind of my thing. Nonetheless, this week will consist of much preparation. Andiamo! (That's for you, Chiara.)
In the spirit of NaBloPoMo, I thought I'd try to post more frequently this month. (All the coolkids are doing it, after all.) Perhaps, instead of writing one or two obnoxiously long posts per week, I'll write posts of a more manageable length. We shall see.
So, I am on a retreat this week, which has been quite a blessing. Georgetown Law's Office of Campus Ministry puts on a semi-annual Prayer in Daily Life Retreat, in which we meet with a spiritual director every day and are guided to pray with and reflect upon scripture. The retreat is coming at a good point in the semester, because it allows me to address the struggles that I've encountered spiritually so far in law school, while also preparing myself spiritually for finals, which start in a scant four-and-a-half weeks.
I have been deeply challenged by the lack of accountability here. Gone are the days of living in a community of Christian women, praying with Cindy and Carla, et al., each morning, attending two to three Bible studies each week, and spending more time at Newman than in my own house on some days. I miss it so deeply, and yet--not to frighten those of you in Berkeley, but--this is not how the rest of the world functions, I'm afraid to say. I am learning that, as much as I can seek out groups of Catholics my age for fellowship, I must find other ways to hold myself accountable to God's desire for faith, hope, and love.
As most of you know, I am something of a word nerd, and one manifestation of that is to compulsively look up words in dictionaries and thesauri. (I cannot begin to describe how much joy my Mac's dictionary/thesaurus widget has brought me.) Incidentally, as I was writing the previous paragraph, I looked up synonyms for "frighten," because I didn't like how the sentence read with "afraid" at the end. One of the synonyms listed is "put the fear of God into," and that makes me reconsider the context of the sentence. I take it back--I hope I do frighten you! Knowing that other synonyms for that phrase are to "be in awe of," "venerate," and "respect" God, I hope that you are in awe of the gifts that God has given you, and cherish the communities that you have. One often doesn't fully appreciate something until one feels its absence, and this is very true of my profound relationships with the Beta chapter of Alpha Delta Chi, and the campus ministry of Newman Hall Holy Spirit Parish. You guys realize that I think about you literally every Monday and Tuesday, respectively, right? You're in my prayers.
However, do not think that feeling the absence of these fellowships leads me to despair. No, I simply must learn other ways to work on my relationship with God. And, I have never turned away from an opportunity to learn. In the words of the seal of the University of California, and of Genesis 1:3, "Let there be light."
As I looked from face to face, the joy was universal. Perfect strangers grinned widely at me, and I grinned right back at them. Choruses of "O-BA-MA!" and "YES, WE CAN!" rang out along H Street, echoing off of the tall buildings that surrounded us. No one seemed to mind the steady drizzle of rain--nothing could dampen our spirits on this night.
The streets were packed with bands of people walking every which way, pouring in and out of bars and apartments, taxis and subways. Each red traffic light was an invitation to dance in the street, and dance we did to the rhythm of the chants, barely noticing the lines demarcating the crosswalks.
I clapped. I shouted. I debated universal health insurance. I laughed. I high-fived. I hugged. I stood in a bar, surrounded by students and professionals, men and women, blacks and whites (and everything in between), and I did not stand alone.
We stood and we watched the speech. The inspiration. The reassurance. The potential. We smiled at the thought of the Obama daughters' new puppy. We clapped for David Plouffe, and we admitted sheepishly that we were happy he would stop emailing us, now. We looked at the faces in the Chicago crowds, and we were moved, and maybe even shed a tear ourselves.
I walked home. My apartment was dark, quiet, calm. I breathed a sigh of relief as I snuggled into my bed, and prayed a little prayer of thanksgiving. I closed my eyes, and looked forward to tomorrow's dawn.
There are very few countries that live up to their creed, that live up to the documents of their founding, that all men are created equal. And, tonight, America has proven itself on a world stage as a show country, not a tell country. They have shown that we have lived up to our creed. That we are what we say we are. And there's not a lot of countries [...] that can say that. [...] America, tonight, lives up to its promise.
In tribute to SNL's parody of Keith Olbermann, I welcome you to The Countdown with Amanda Stempson. (N.B. Diction borrowed liberally from both the parody and from Olbermann himself.)
Edit: To see/hear an audio version of this blog, check out the YouTube video that I created:
5: Comedy or Commentary?
We turn now to our fifth story on The Countdown: the brilliant portrayal of Keith Olbermann by Ben Affleck on the Nov. 1 edition of Saturday Night Live, Tina Fey's parody of Sarah Palin notwithstanding. The in-character Affleck said, quote,
It is a fear, sir, and a tyranny up with which we dare no longer put.
This sketch is long overdue and is, by far, one of the best SNL pieces to come out of this season. Affleck's pompous verbosity, rapid enunciation, and gratuitous outrage were simply superb! I was particularly delighted by his refusal to end a sentence with a preposition, even when resulting in absurd sentence constructions (such as the above quote).
I find Olbermann's show entertaining, if uninformative, mostly because he is so ostentatious. So, to see a grandiloquent parody of The Countdown made my day. Should not, indeed, Stephen Colbert consider the hiring of a co-anchor to aid him in the Report's pursuit of truthiness?
4: Truants for Change
Number four on the Countdown tonight, the supportive efforts of Georgetown Law to enable students to be involved with the 2008 presidential election. The Student Bar Association, the student government of the law school, passed a resolution requesting that professors either cancel class on Nov. 4, or provide an audio recording of the class. The purpose? To allow students to more fully participate in the plethora of voter protection projects happening in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.
As of last week, I discovered that my own classes for Election Day will be canceled. Although my availability was last-minute, I was able to sign up for homeless voter protection at a nearby polling place. My job will be to help homeless people who are denied their right to vote. I will do that all morning, and then walk to the Obama campaign headquarters to do some "last call for change" phone banking. I highly encourage anyone who has any spare time on Election Day to work for non-partisan voter protection or for the Obama campaign directly. And, for the love of America, VOTE!
3: Viva la Vida
Our number three story: Coldplay was in D.C. on Halloween night, playing to a sold-out Verizon Center. I had the good fortune of attending said concert with Donna, and was much impressed by Coldplay's high-energy performance, resplendent with over-the-top light effects.
Chris Martin, lead singer for the band, played the piano in a manner that one can only describe as the seeming efforts of a tortured genius. (That is not to say that Mr. Martin is a tortured genius, but rather that he is capable of portraying one on stage.)
I attended the concert technically dressed as a punk poseur. My initial thought was to attend the concert dressed as a punk, but, acknowledging that I wouldn't necessarily be able to pull this off authentically, I amended my costume conceptually. Some of my classmates argued that this was somewhat esoteric, and I concede that they had a point. Fortunately, Donna later helped me to improve my costume by rolling up my pant legs, applying copious amounts of eyeliner, and coaching me in facial expressions and attitudes that were categorically emo, to great effect.
2: World's Worst
And now, Countdown's Worst Person in the World! To: Michael Powell, New York Times reporter. Mr. Powell recently wrote an article that ostensibly jinxes the entirety of the Obama campaign and its supporters. Entitled "Obama Is Up, and Fans Fear That Jinxes It," Mr. Powell maintains that, quote
To talk with left-leaning Democrats in New Hope, San Francisco or Miami Beach, to drill deep into their id, is to stand at the intersection of Liberal and High Anxiety.
Well, Mr. Powell, if the Dems weren't thinking this before you wrote your pessimistic malediction, they certainly are now! Mr. Powell, you of all people must know of the enormous influence that the New York Times has on liberal thought. To write such inane blather, and then make this claim, is circular logic, indeed! This piece is little more than a self-fulfilling prophecy based on a cruel tautology that may cost Mr. Obama the election!
Mr. Powell, sir, if you yet retain any trace of honor, you must at once resign from the New York Times. Indeed, sir, justice and dignity demand you so to do!
1: ADR & HSM
Turning, now, to our number one story tonight: Disney's High School Musical has infiltrated the hallowed halls of Georgetown Law. In Civil Procedure on Friday, in a discussion of alternative dispute resolution, my professor was explaining the cooperative efforts of resolution as related to sociologist Talcott Parsons' four elements of therapy. Specifically, dispute resolution plays out as a sort of psychotherapy for all parties involved. My professor's way of succinctly encapsulating this point? Quote,
We're all in this together.
My professor acknowledged that he has a 12-year-old daughter, and has thus seen High School Musical on multiple occasions. He even went on to make sardonic comments about Sharpay. Quite simply, sir, it was one of the most surprising moments of your class to date.
And that's the Countdown for this: the six-hundred thirty-second day since Barack Obama announced his candidacy for President of the United States.
Last night, I was in the Situation Room! Well, sort of. I was in Hart Auditorium here on the Georgetown Law campus, but Wolf Blitzer declared that we were all in the Situation Room, implying, for all intents and purposes, that the Situation Room is wherever Blitzer happens to be at the time. I attended a symposium called "Decision 2008: November 4th and Beyond," which was moderated by Blitzer. So cool! The panelists were E.J. Dionne (Washington Post columnist, Georgetown Public Policy Institute professor), Charles Krauthammer (Pulitzer Prize winner, conservative syndicated columnist), Celinda Lake (pollster, Democratic political strategist), Clarence Page (Chicago Tribune syndicated columnist), and Byron York (National Review White House correspondent). It was a pretty interesting panel discussion, because of the diversity of opinions on issues such as whether McCain still has a chance, whether the Bradley effect exists, the effect of Sarah Palin, how negative campaigning affects credibility, and the ways in which the economy has impacted campaign messages. This is one of those events that reminds me of the awesome opportunities I have by being in D.C., and specifically by being at Georgetown Law.
Unfortunately, the symposium was scheduled at the same time as my small group Bible study, which crushed our attendance (i.e., no one came). Mike and I waited for fifteen minutes, and then decided to attend the symposium ourselves. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right? Hopefully we'll have better attendance next week when we aren't competing with a popular head anchor of a major news network.
It's crazy to think that this election is finally coming to a close. I can remember when I first took notice of then-Senate-hopeful Obama during his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, and got goosebumps from his vision for a unified America. I remember when I first considered Obama as a viable presidential candidate, upon reading a Time magazine cover story in 2006 on why he could be the next president. I wondered to myself whether the United States would even be willing to elect an African-American as president, yet I found within myself a burgeoning hope that America had reached that point. I have followed Obama's campaign for nearly 22 months with ever-increasing attentiveness since he declared his candidacy in February of 2007. I fell in love with Obama's rhetoric and charisma when I attended a huge rally for him in Oakland with Cindy on St. Patrick's Day last year, delighting in green t-shirts supporting "O'Bama." I have watched the debates, I have followed the controversies, I have read dozens upon dozens of articles about the campaign. Quite frankly, Obama has been an integral part of my fascination with politics for years, and I wonder how things will be on November 5. Hold onto your seats, folks.
I received in the mail today my District of Columbia Voter's Guide, which was exciting. I absolutely adore the graphic that the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics put on the front cover of the guide:
It is so delightfully saccharine. "You complete us." I love it.
I've been sick all week. What started out as a terrible cold quickly progressed into a sinus infection. I have never experienced a sinus infection, so the fever, headache, nausea and difficulty sleeping bewildered me. I described my ailments to my mom, and she diagnosed me from 3,000 miles away, urging me to go to the doctor. Reluctantly, I made an appointment, and the doctor confirmed that I had a sinus infection. What is it about moms that gives them the ability to be right about stuff like this? Crazy.
Wednesday evening was when I could no longer stay in denial as to how sick I was. I came home from class around 3:30 pm, and had plans of taking care of a few things and baking some cookies for my Small Group Bible study, which was scheduled to meet at 7:30 pm. Well, I woke up at 7:50 pm, twenty minutes into my Bible study, as Mike tried to call me on my cell phone. Panicking, I grabbed my Bible and papers, attempted to sprint up two flights of stairs, and apologized profusely for my tardiness (and lack of cookies). Argh! Showing up late to things is one of my worst fears... I've seriously had nightmares about being late to important events. Regardless, the small group went very well. People came, we had a lively and honest conversation about several passages (Mark 2:1-12, Luke 19:1-10, and Luke 24:13-32), and I have hopes that even more people will be coming next week. I'm excited to see what this semester will bring for this group.
I've been living as an invalid for the past few days, albeit still attending class. In my Civil Procedure class, if you're unable to participate in class for an exceptional reason (such as illness), you are supposed to leave a note explaining your situation before class on the professor's desk at the front of the lecture hall. I did this on Thursday, and my professor had the greatest reaction. He arrived right as class is about to start, putting down his books and picking up my note. He read the note silently, and then a look of panic mixed with irritation fell across his face as he dropped the note quickly back onto the desk. He looked up at the class, announcing something to the effect of "If you think you are sick, do not leave a contaminated note for me to try to infect me, too! Write me an email before class!" He then proceeded to use the end of his pen to push the note as far away from himself as physically possible, a look of disgust on his face.
The class laughed, myself included, because it was pretty clear that he was just trying to lighten the atmosphere, as we had taken an intense practice exam last week. I spoke with the professor after class, assuring him that I had washed my hands before writing the note, and he confirmed that he was just kidding around. Actually, he was really nice to me, encouraging me to try to come to class even if I feel terrible, and wishing me a quick recovery. He also told me to sit in the back row the next day in class (as opposed to my assigned seat), so that my classmates would have a lessened chance of being infected. A bunch of my classmates were curious and concerned as to why I was sitting in the back, and a couple of people even walked to the back to "visit" me, which was really nice. (I also had some people thank me for trying to get the professor sick, somewhat to my chagrin.)
Outside of class, I have been spending all of my time confined to my room in pajamas. Being sick is so boring. I don't have enough energy or concentration to work, so I've been watching videos, reading articles, playing Tetris, and sleeping. I cannot believe how much I've been sleeping! I keep taking multiple lengthy naps during the day, and then sleeping for 10 hours at night. It is really strange, considering that I dislike taking naps, and usually subsist on 7 hours of sleep per night (if that).
Hopefully, my energy will come back soon, so that I can be productive. I want to get as much work done this weekend as possible, so that I have time to hang out with Erin while she's in D.C. this week!
I've caught some good sunset views from my window here on the 8th floor of Gewirz, but this is the first decent moonset, if you will. A pleasant reminder that it is indeed October.
The weekend was balanced. On Saturday, I explored Eastern Market with Donna, which was essentially a flea market, a farmer's market, and an arts-and-crafts fair rolled into one. I did some successful negotiating (a.k.a., haggling) at the flea market. We also ventured into Georgetown proper--the area near the university itself (as opposed to the law school) is filled with shops and restaurants. Sunday and Monday were primarily devoted to homework, but at a less grueling pace than a two-day weekend would have allowed (thank you, Columbus Day).
On Sunday, Mike and I were able to chat with Fr. Kevin O'Brien, S.J., the Executive Director of Campus Ministry for Georgetown University, about our endeavors to start a small group Bible study at the law school. He happened to be presiding over the Mass at our little chapel because Fr. Alexei was out of town. Fr. Kevin was very encouraging and offered his support, which I appreciated. We're meeting on Wednesday--keep us in your prayers!
I've been dragging my feet with regards to posting this week, because writing feels a lot like work at the moment. I had a Civil Procedure practice exam this morning, which meant that I spend my week writing an extensive outline covering the cases and lectures from the past five weeks. Plus, I have a draft of my second memo for Legal Research and Writing due Tuesday, so I've been trying to work on that, and I have a practice essay question due next week for my Torts class. Just when you think you've got law school figured out, the pattern shifts.
Taking it from the top: last weekend was action-packed. I traveled to Virginia with Nadia to find an Olive Garden (Endless salad and bread sticks?! How do they do it?), went on a boat cruise (at left) on the Potomac with Donna , and went to church with the Supreme Court. Yes, you read that last item correctly. Have you ever heard of the Red Mass? It's an annual Catholic Mass held for people in the legal profession (e.g., lawyers, judges, professors, students, etc.). There's a world-famous one always held in D.C.--here's what Wikipedia has to say about it:
"One of the better-known Red Masses is the one celebrated each fall at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C. on the Sunday before the first Monday in October (the Supreme Court convenes on the first Monday in October). It is sponsored by the John Carroll Society and attended by Justices of the Supreme Court, members of Congress, the diplomatic corps, the Cabinet and other government departments and sometimes the President of the United States."
St. Matthew's was very cool, in a cathedral sort of way. As you can see from the photo (at right), it's got a lot going on, aesthetically. I was particularly intrigued by a small squirrel hanging out at the feet of one of the angels in the arch... any thoughts as to the symbolism? I attended the Mass with some other Catholic students from Georgetown Law, and we definitely spotted Justices Roberts, Alito, and Thomas... and I think I saw Scalia, but it was from a distance. I'm something of a nerd, so I created Supreme Court Justice flashcards (with photos) for my iPhone so as to ensure that I could properly identify all of the justices. Don't judge me. (Ha ha... don't judge me... ahem. I'll stop, now.) There were tons of important church leaders there, as well, including several archbishops, Cardinal Foley (he gave the homily), tons of bishops, and the leaders of the John Carroll Society, which is, for all intents and purposes, the who's who of Catholic professionals in D.C. After the Mass, I used my sweet Georgetown connections to get a seat at the John Carroll Society brunch. I sat at a table with a recently retired Georgetown Law professor and his wife, and they were great. I hope I'm that sociable when I'm 79 years old.
This week was primarily consumed by academics, but there were some other things going on as well. I watched the debate on Tuesday, which wasn't nearly as entertaining as the vice presidential debate, obviously, but still had its moments. I was watching with other students in my dorm, which made for a delightful evening of tongue-in-cheek commentary.
A few weeks ago, I had mentioned the Catholic Forum, and the potential formation of a small group Bible study. What I neglected to mention was that, well, I am co-leading that Bible study with a fellow 1L, Mike. At first, I was sort of shocked that there wasn't a Bible study at Georgetown, but then I saw and felt the need for Bible study here, and, after prayerful consideration, I was compelled to answer that call. Mike and I have been meeting and discussing and planning, and last night we had our first small group gathering. To put it frankly: we were the only two people to show up. Drat! I think we need more publicity. I mean, I baked a cake! You'd think that luring people with dessert would be more effective. Regardless, we are not disheartened by this turnout; this is not about us, but about God. All we can do is serve, and see what happens. Please, keep the small group in your prayers.
Today, after my Civil Procedure practice exam, I went for a long walk. I had vague thoughts of going to the National Archives, but the lines were gargantuan (darn you, schoolchildren!), so I walked across the street to the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden. So cool! As the name suggests, it is a garden with a myriad of sculptures. I'm glad I discovered it, because it seems like a good place to get lost in thought for a little while. My favorite sculpture was a gigantic spider (at left) by Louise Bourgeois, who, according to the blurb in the garden's pamphlet, has many works featuring spiders that appear as "looming and powerful protectresses, yet are nurturing, delicate, and vulnerable." I found this seemingly contradictory imagery intriguing, since I often associate spiders with my own mother, who has an affinity for the macabre.
After the garden, I meandered up and down the Mall for a while. I probably walked a good five miles, all told. I really miss walking. I realize that sentence sounds absurd, but allow me to elaborate. After four years of walking several miles daily in Berkeley, I truly feel its absence in my life living on-campus at Georgetown Law. The time spent walking was an opportunity to think, to observe, and often to pray. It's a challenge to build that caliber of contemplation and quietude into my day here. I miss walking.
I have high hopes for this weekend. We get Columbus Day (a.k.a., Indigenous Peoples' Day) off, which is lovely. I have high aspirations for productivity, but I'm also a bit worn out from this week, so that extra day will afford me the opportunity to be constructive by recharging as well as working. Peace, guys.
October? How is it already October? I moved back East six weeks ago? Wow… just, wow.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the start of undergrad, as it is my only analogous experience to starting law school. Did the first six weeks fly by this quickly during my first semester at Cal? How soon did this new form of education start to feel routine—that is, how soon did I grow accustomed to lecture styles, to the reading materials? When did the novelty of dorm life wear off? When did I know that certain student groups would be my passion for the duration of my time there? When did I meet the people that had the deepest impact upon my understanding of education, of God, of life, of myself?
And yet, this isn’t Berkeley; in so many ways, the analogy falls short. After this, I’ll be entering the “real world,” not more school. My peers are older, more mature (for the most part). I’m surrounded by people who are all studying the same field—as diverse as our interests might be, everything is ultimately within the legal realm. I’m 2,849 miles away from home instead of 47. The setting is the epitome of urban, rather than a casual college town. Can I really compare the two experiences?
It is challenging, because I grew accustomed to life being a certain way in Berkeley. Within the first week of school each semester, I could always fill in my plans for the next 4 months in my agenda. Life was habitual. I have yet to establish habits here. I have aspirations as to how I’d like to live, certainly, but very few things that I’ve tried have emerged as habits yet. A very basic example: I don’t have a “spot” at the library. At Cal, I had a couple of places that were my favorite spots to study in the library. I lack defaults here; I must consider each choice anew. Consequently, I’ve been trying different places, to figure out what I like best. I’ve studied on every floor in each of our libraries. I think the 5th floor of Williams is emerging as my favorite, but it depends on whether I want a comfortable chair, or an interesting window view, or a big table, or simply to people watch. And, that cuts to the essence of my inquiries here: what do I want? What do I need?
And so, the discovery process continues.
On the lighter side, my Civil Procedure professor continues to amaze me with his incredible “words of wisdom” (thanks, Molly):
Professor: “His arm was torn off. I just…” Class: “…hate it when that happens!”
Seriously, we all responded in chorus. You know you’re going to have an interesting semester when there’s a running joke about plaintiffs who’ve had their arms ripped off.
By the way, I posted a D.C. to-do list; check it out beneath the Prayer to St. Thomas More in the side bar. Suggestions are welcome!
Today, in Civil Procedure, at the very end of class, our professor announced an assignment not listed on the syllabus due tomorrow (i.e., 22.5 hours later). He posted a page-long hypothetical situation on our course website, and told us that we should come to class with a two-page written response, which should take two to three hours. I was a bit surprised, to say the least, but thankfully CivPro is my only class on Thursdays, so I’ve been working on it most of the afternoon and evening: reading in the library for hours, diligently reviewing my notes, meeting up with classmates to discuss, and meticulously writing my response.
And yet… why? There is no way that this will be turned in—he doesn’t want to read 120 of these! That’s when it hit me: this assignment has no bearing on anything except my understanding of subject-matter jurisdiction. Argh, my professor tricked me into studying harder… again! He keeps doing that to me. I want to argue that it’s not necessary, but I have to agree that it’s far more effective than merely suggesting that I ought to review 28 U.S.C. § 1332. All the same, I feel duped.
Speaking of CivPro—and legal trickery, for that matter—I have an awesome quote from my casebook from last night’s reading:
“Here is one of the many instances where the law achieved results thought desirable through the use of transparent fictions.”
The quote is referring to—well, it’s kind of tedious to explain. Trust me… you don’t want to know. What? You do? Um, okay, you asked: The quote is referring to diversity of citizenship with respect to corporations for establishing the original jurisdiction of a civil case in the federal district courts involving a corporation. Given that the citizenship of stockholders determines the citizenship of a corporation, the section operates under the premise that courts will treat a corporation as though all of its stockholders are from the state of its incorporation for the purposes of original jurisdiction based on diversity. Talk about truthiness! Yet, it's a necessary fallacy: otherwise, the reality is that stockholders are probably from a large number of states, which would make it very difficult to have diversity of citizenship in a case to which a corporation is a party.
See? I told you that you didn’t want to know.
Anyhow, I have other things to share from this week, but I'll leave it until tomorrow, when I'll have more time to write.
9/26/08 EDIT: Well, I'll be darned if my Civ Pro professor didn't collect the assignment. Apparently he does want to read 120 papers this weekend...
I thought I'd share some quotable statements that I jotted down this week from my professors...
"The definition of a lawyer is a person who sees five things where everyone else sees only one." - Torts professor, on the ability of lawyers to break up complex ideas into individual elements
“This isn't the Hoboken School of law, thankfully. Hoboken School of Law is a fabulous law school, but it’s in New Jersey.” - Civil Procedure professor, referencing a running joke about the fictitious Hoboken School of Law
“We live in a messy, dependent, qualified world that requires messy, dependent, qualified sentences.” - Legal Research and Writing professor, in a rather lucid moment
So, I made a video greeting to share with my family, because I think it'll make them happy... especially my mom. It's my first real attempt at making a video and posting it on YouTube, so forgive the rudimentary nature of my editing. Although I really made the video for my family, not for my blog, I thought I'd post it here as well:
"The universe... invites exploration as is meant to facilitate the interpersonal experience of a loving God.... In such a view of the universe, both teacher and student are always involved in an adventure of rigorous investigation and professional exactitude. But because of the inherently religious quality of all reality, such study must always be done with a profound and awesome respect and a reverential drive for excellence....
"Jesuit education, then, can never settle for a strong intellectual dimension without an equally strong moral dimension incarnated in specific human and religious values.... Information will never suffice in itself, but becomes an element in the process of personal formation and transformation which is central to Jesuit education."
- George A. Aschenbrenner, S.J., The Jesuit University Today: An Introduction to the Ignatian Vision in Higher Education
This is a quote from an article that we discussed this evening in the Catholic Forum (Georgetown Law's Catholic student organization). Having never attended a school with a Jesuit tradition, and having attended public school all but 6th grade, I want to learn more about what it means to participate in a Jesuit education. This quote interested me in particular because of the emphasis upon a close relationship between human and religious studies. I appreciated the sentiment that studies must be done in earnest, because our education affects us in more than a purely intellectual way.
The question of the role of Ignatian spirituality in a legal education, then, becomes all the more complex in light of moral relativism, which comes in direct opposition to the catholic--that is, universal--moral law grounded in our common humanity. I do not presume to have answers, let alone fully formed opinions, on these issues (yet?), but I will continue to ponder as I experience my own contentious legal education in the Jesuit tradition.
I just noticed that the Jesuit motto "ad majorem Dei gloriam" (translation: "for the greater glory of God") can be found in part in the St. Thomas More prayer (see sidebar) that is the inspiration for the title of this blog: "for the glory of God and in the pursuit of His justice." When I was on the main Georgetown campus in Gaston Hall for the university's President's Reception, I noticed that this phrase was engraved into the wall, adding the phrase "inque hominum salutem," which would make the full Georgetown version of the motto "for the greater glory of God and the salvation of humanity." Intriguing resonance.
On the lighter side... I bought a really nice ice cream scoop! It's hefty, which makes it easy to scoop, and it has a neon green handle. I'm kind of into the color green right now... although it's always been in my top three (blue, green, and purple), I thought purple was my favorite color. And yet, I keep gravitating toward green (e.g., pea coat, bedspread, wireless mouse, laptop case, dish towels, and now ice cream scoop). I needed the ice cream scoop because I'd recently rediscovered my love for rainbow sherbet--a delightful swirl of orange, pineapple, and raspberry sherbet. It was my favorite flavor at 31 Flavors growing up, and I don't know why I forgot about it for so long. (It also has substantially less fat and cholesterol than ice cream, which I suppose is a neat bonus, although it has no direct bearing on my consumption.) The Safeway version even has little chunks of pineapple in it. What a treat!
I went to a meeting for the Catholic Forum yesterday evening, the Catholic student organization for the law school. Their philosophy is to cater to the desires of the students attending, such that the group differs year by year depending on what people want to do. I am definitely going to be involved, and am excited by the group's potential, especially in the formation of some sort of weekly small group Bible study. For the past few years, I had been attending two to three Bible studies each week between ADX and Newman, so the adjustment to absolutely no spiritual accountability other than Mass thus far has been a bit jarring. I can already see that there is a real danger in letting the workload interfere with my desire to grow in my relationship with Christ. I am glad that the Catholic Forum is explicitly interested in helping students to understand the melding of spirituality and the law, and to take advantage of our unique position at a Jesuit university.
I didn't study very much this weekend. Quite frankly, I was a little disappointed in the amount of time I spent on my work, having started the weekend with eternal optimism about getting ahead in my reading. However, rather than dwelling upon it, I decided that I had set myself up for disappointment by not giving myself any sort of structure or parameters for my studies... I was lacking in tangible goals for my work. So, I sat down and wrote out an ideal weekly schedule that is helping me to better visualize how much studying I want to do on a daily basis, resplendent with time at the library, studying at home, trips to the gym, and--gasp--even breaks. I hope that this schedule will help me to achieve balance, rather than yo-yoing between studying for hours on end all week, and then being burnt out when the weekend comes. Thankfully, today has been very productive, thus far.
I've learned a couple of truths about the law, so far. For one thing, it is a faulty assumption that the law is based on logic. Oh, sad day. Speaking of sadness... another thing I've learned is that it does not matter how you feel about anything (e.g., "I feel like the judge's opinion is biased towards federalism"). No one cares how you feel. In a similar vein, lawyers (and, by extension, law students) must never accept a purported fact without proof, which results in lawyers being highly skeptical of all unsubstantiated claims. As you can see, I'm trying to take this to heart:
See? I don't look like I trust that book as far as I could throw it--which, incidentally, isn't very far, because that thing weighs a ton. In case you're wondering: I'm in the library.
